Top 5 Reasons for Taking a Family Trip in June

Itching to get started on the “living is easy” lifestyle that summer pool and beach time evokes? I am! (Ok, if you’re a parent like I am, you know that the pace never totally slows down but it does get more manageable once beach and pool season starts.)

With years of family vacations on Cape Cod, some of my fondest memories are of the times we spent there during the June and September shoulder seasons. During those months, all the plusses of summertime Cape Cod are there – magnificent sunshine, warm beaches, excellent seafood restaurants and quaint towns to explore. However, fellow summer tourists are not there yet which means you have the beaches virtually to yourself.

Here are the top five reasons why it’s easy to love family getaways in June before the summer July 4^th rush:

1. Great deals
Frankly, the reason we checked out Cape Cod in the shoulder season all those years ago was because of the fantastic rates at hotels, resorts and beach house rentals. That still is the case today in Cape Cod as well as other seasonal spots in the Northeast.

One such money-saving offer is at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis on Cape Cod. This family-friendly resort is home to an indoor water park and outdoor heated pool. It’s also conveniently located near the Kennedy Museum, quaint downtown and is a short drive from beaches. If you visit the Cape Codder prior to June 21, the resort’s Family and Friends package offers 30% off the second room reserved by your family and/or friends and 20% off the resort’s full-service spa.

2. Perfect weather
How many times here in the Northeast have you thought on a temperate, sunny June or September day: “This must be one of the 10 best days of the year”? We tend to get them much more often in June or September than July or August when humidity and heat can really zap one’s energy, even at the beach.

Throughout my decades of vacations in Cape Cod and the Islands, my family coined a phrase “this is a Cape Cod Day” meaning, this is as good as it gets in regards to perfect weather. To this day, so often in June or September my sisters, mother or I will call the other just to say, “Is this Cape Cod day or what?” As in, get out there and enjoy the beautiful day!

3. No waiting at restaurants
Who likes to wait in line at restaurants with whiny kids? Don’t all raise your hands at once!

No parent enjoys waiting in a restaurant for a table with hungry, tired children. When you vacation at a beach spot during shoulder or off-season, the likelihood of that happening diminishes greatly.

Also, you’ll encounter less traffic and less likelihood of getting boxed out of parking at one of the beach parking spots in June or September.

4. Feeling more like a “native”
When you visit a beach destination off-season or shoulder season, there’s a different feel to it. Suddenly you don’t feel like a tourist but rather like a “native” who lives there year round. It’s easier to explore off the beaten path because you now have easier access to the hidden gems since less folks are around.

Additionally, the beach feels like it’s all yours. There’s plenty of room for the kids to play ball or other active games when there are less folks around for your children to potentially hit with an errant ball! Experiencing the beach off-season or shoulder season evokes the same “cool” feeling that we enjoy when we go to the beach in the evening in July and August and the kids can hang out in the lifeguard chair. We feel like we have the beach all to ourselves to run around and play rousing games of football or Frisbee.

5. Now’s the time!
Don’t let the crystal clear days of late spring/early summer pass you by this year while you sit in front of your computer! Get out there and celebrate the warm sand under your toes and the salubrious sound of the water lapping on the shore or by the pool.